WWE is launching a paid Members Club at a time when fans are complaining about ticket prices

Read Arena, WWE. Especially those empty seats up there.

WWE announced on Tuesday that it will launch “the ultimate membership program, Club WWE, designed to bring fans closer to WWE than ever before through exclusive access, rewards and experiences.” The annual membership fee for what the company calls its “gold” level has not yet been revealed. WWE is accepting sign-ups on what you may or may not correctly call (at this point) a “waitlist.”

Club WWE Gold members will receive 24-hour ticket sales for all WWE events, “customized privileges” at Superstar meet-and-greets, “hospitality opportunities” and the opportunity to display their items on the entrance ramp prior to the event. They can shop in the members-only WWE Store “featuring exclusive collections and early access to merchandise drops,” the press release says, and there will be a “members-only community forum” as well as a rewards system to earn credits toward “digital and physical merchandise.”

Currently, the “Founding Member Waiting List” is waiting for Founding Members; Founding members will receive a “premium welcome package.” Full membership benefits and Club WWE launch timing (and hopefully pricing!) will be announced in the coming weeks, WWE said.

“Our fans are the heartbeat of WWE, and everything we do starts with them,” John Cena, who somehow ended up as the face of the thing, said in a statement provided by WWE. “Club WWE aims to bring that connection to life in an even bigger way — through exclusive access, unique experiences, and a true sense of community. It’s a premium destination designed to reward passion and give our most dedicated fans a meaningful way to engage with WWE year-round.”

Thanks John, but the timing of the Club WWE announcement could probably be a little better. Or maybe that’s completely true. WrestleMania 42, considered the Super Bowl of professional wrestling, will be held next Saturday and Sunday in Las Vegas, Nevada. There’s no better launching pad into everything WWE founder Vince McMahon called “sports entertainment,” but WrestleMania 42 has a certain stigma attached to it, and the irony here won’t be lost on fans.

The prevailing commentary surrounding this weekend’s WrestleMania, both in real life and more recently in the kayfabe (wrestlers pretending that what they do and say is essentially real) storyline on WWE television, is the outrageous ticket prices. Current World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk has ripped WWE and TKO (parent company) executives over the exorbitant costs of living on Netflix. With WWE, you never know who’s speaking from the script and who’s speaking from the heart, but with Punk, it’s always the latter.

The face values ​​for WrestleMania 42 have become such a talking point that one of WWE’s professional talkers, Pat McAfee, announced a temporary 25 percent discount on Friday. smack down (USA Network). McAfee, a former NFL player and crossover star thanks to his popular podcast on ESPN, is listed in one of the weekend’s main events, serving as Randy Orton’s manager. Many believed it was a desperate play to spark sluggish sales. The McAfee promo code is running until Monday night Raw (Netflix), but it didn’t exactly set the box office on fire. At WrestleTix, WrestleMania 42 trails WrestleMania 41 by about 10,000 tickets sold with roughly the same number of days to go to the event. WrestleMania 2025 was also held in Vegas.

“The significant increase in ticket prices raises concerns about accessibility” for the working class and even the middle class, says Andrew Bedala, a senior executive at a sports and entertainment ticket retailer. In other words: the WWE fan base. Bedala says that even the rich are exposed to water here. Ringside Elite TV deals, which are exactly what they sound like, have gone from $50,000 last year to $70,000 this year. It is important to note that despite this price hike, the limited packages have sold out.

“Although WWE has faced challenges selling tickets on both nights of the event this year, it will undoubtedly feature a multi-million dollar gate and boast record numbers,” says Bedala. THR. “However, one has to wonder: at what cost? In my opinion, it is very likely that WWE has become deaf to its core fan base.”

Duke Bennett, host The Duke loves Raslin podcast, calls the WWE Club announcement a “remarkably aggressive move” by TKO. in This economyHe said: Basically.

In addition to higher ticket prices for live events, WWE fans have recently experienced “a series of price hikes for the platforms required to view the product,” Bennett said. THRIn reference to Netflix and the new ESPN app. “When you look at the totality of these factors, a troubling picture emerges: WWE has become significantly less inclusive. It appears to be repositioning itself as a wrestling brand for the wealthy.”

Bennett called the TKO “clever” here. “If you keep kicking fans in the pocket, they will eventually find their entertainment elsewhere.”

Post Wrestling reporter John Bullock was more moderate in his thoughts. Bullock says the WWE Club “could represent a path back to that audience through deals and fan service.” “Or, conversely, it could be a way to extract more from the audience willing to pay exorbitant sums for tickets, experiences, etc., and micro-target fans who are not bothered by the eye-watering prices,” he adds.

“It’s a tough balance because WWE is still doing amazing things, and the demand is there for most events, but WrestleMania’s pricing and returning to Vegas for the second year in a row was too much of a ‘demand’ among many fans, creating a desperation in its programming to increase ticket sales,” Bullock said. THR.